Fastener for containers



Aug. 10, 1937. 8. SMITH FASTENER FOR CONTAINERS Filed May 29, 1953 MOMMA,

Patented Aug. 1%, 1937 UNETED STATS FASTENER FOR CONTAINERS Application May 29, 1933, Serial No. 673,429

14 Claims.

My invention relates to fasteners for containers and particularly to containers constructed with a body open at the upper end and having a v rim and provided with a cover constructed with a downwardly extending flange adapted to overlie the rim.

An object of the invention resides in providing a fastener adapted to be readily applied to such structures and to be easily and quickly brought into action to hold the cover attached to the body of the container.

Another object of the invention resides in providing a member on the body of the container constructed to form a slot or opening adjacent the lower edge of the rim and in further providing a tongue issuing from the flange of the cover and adapted to be inserted into the slot or opening of said member.

An object of the invention resides in constructing the tongue of flexible material capable of being bent to hold the same attached to the member.

A still further object of the invention resides in constructing said member of wire and in forming the same with two reaches projecting outwardly from the body of the container and below the rim thereof and having a connecting portion connecting said reaches and extending along the marginal edge of the rim to form a slot between said connecting portion and the body of the container.

An object of the invention resides in constructing the tongue either from a strip of sheet metal or from a piece of wire bent to form two reaches and having a connecting portion.

Another object of the invention resides in imbedding the tongue within the structure of the flange of the cover.

A feature of the invention resides in constructing the rim of the container by means of a hoop and in attaching the member to the hoop.

Another object of the invention resides in constructing the member with two legs connected to said reaches, said legs being disposed between the hoop and body of the container.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/or described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container illustrating an embodiment of my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the position of the tongue before bending the same.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the parts of the fastener detached from the container.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of a container showing a modification of the invention applied thereto.

In the construction of containers having separable covers and particularly containers constructed from paper and similar materials, it becomes difficult to provide a fastener which does not extend into the interior of the container and which is capable of securely holding the cover attached to the body of the container. The present invention provides a device of such character which is extremely inexpensive and which functions to securely hold the cover attached to the body of the container and which can be easily and quickly applied.

For the purpose of illustrating the application of my invention, I have shown in the drawing a container indicated in its entirety at A which is constructed with a body It) open at the upper end as indicated at I I. The body it] is provided with a hoop l2 which encircles the upper end i i thereof and which forms a bead or rim extending circumferentially about the body. In the particular container shown the body flares outwardly at its upper end and the hoop I2 is correspondingly constructed flared so that upward pressure of the hoop tends to more firmly seat the same against the body of the container. The hoop I2 is constructed with a shoulder l6 disposed on the underside thereof, which shoulder will be later referred to. The container proper is provided with a cover it which has a planiform portion I4 adapted to overlie the open upper end I! of the body ID and which is constructed with a depending flange l5 issuing from the margin of the planiform portion I l and extending downwardly along the hoop l2. The lower free edge of this flange is indicated in the drawing at I! and is disposed substantially at the same elevation as the shoulder I6 of hoop l2.

My invention comprises a fastener member indicated in its entirety at 18 and a tongue I!) cooperating therewith. These parts are best seen in Fig. 4 and will now be described in detail.

The fastener member i8 is constructed of wire and comprises two reaches 26 and 2! connected together through a connecting portion or bar 22. The two reaches 20 and 2i and the connecting portion 22 form a loop having an opening 23 within the same, which forms a slot for the re ception of the tongue l9 as will be presently described. Issuing upwardly from the two reaches 20 and 2| are two legs 24 and 25 which have angular portions 26 and 27 projecting outwardly therefrom.

The fastener member [8 is attached to the hoop I2 prior to the application of the same to the body H) of the container. This is accomplished as follows: The angular portions 26 and 27 are forced through the body of the hoop from the interior thereof and the extreme ends 28 and 29 of said angular portions clinched over the hoop upon the exterior thereof as indicated in dotted lines at 3!! in Fig. 4 and in full lines in Figs. 2 and 3. The two reaches and 2ll lie immediately below the shoulder iii of the hoop l2 and project outwardly therefrom a slight distance so that the bar or connecting portion 22 is spaced from the outer surface of the hoop E2 to form the slot or opening 23 previously referred to.

The tongue i9 is constructed from sheet metal and comprises a strip of metal formed with a rounded end 3i. This strip of metal is bent at 32 to form two angularly disposed portions 33 and 3 5, the end 3i being formed on the portion 33. The tongue l9 is adapted to be imbedded within the structure of cover IS, the portion 34 lying within the planiform portion id of the cover and the portion 33 of the tongue being partially disposed within the flange lb of the cover. The end 3! of the tongue extends outwardly from the free edge ll of flange l5 and normally extends downwardly from said free edge. The tongue i9 is constructed of a flexible material adapted to be readily bent to permit of applying the same as will now be described in detail.

In the use of. the invention, the cover is placed upon the container and the same rotated to bring the tongues l9 directly above the slots 23 in the fastener members it. Upon lowering the cover the said tongues are caused to enter the slots and to project downwardly therethrough and below the connecting portions 22 of the fastener members as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Due to the formation of the hoop E2 the said tongues become spaced from the body it of the container whereby the ends 3! of the same may be readily engaged by the fingers of the operator. These portions of, the tongues are next bent upwardly as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When so disposed the ends iii of said tongues lie against the outer surfaces of the flange l5 and become securely hooked about the connecting portion 22 of said fastener members. When it is desired i to open the container it is merely necessary to bend the end portions iii of tongues l9 downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3 and the container cover it may be raised and removed from the body of the container. In this manner the cover can be applied and removed as frequently as desired and until the various tongues break 01f through repeated bending.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modification of the invention in which the tongue, which is indicated in its entirety at 35 is constructed of wire. This tongue is. formed with two spaced reaches 3% and 37 adapted to be imbedded within the flange lb of the cover. These reaches are bent at 381 and 39 to form angular portions it and ll adapted to be disposed within the structure of the planiform portion H! of cover l3. The extreme ends 42 and 43 are bent outwardly from the angular portions and ll but lie in the same plane thereof. These ends serve to hold the fastener members securely anchored to the cover proper.

The reaches 36 and Si project outwardly beyond the free edge ll of the flange it of cover it and are connected through a curved connecting portion 44. This portion forms the part of the tongue corresponding to the end 3! of the tongue shown in Fig. i. The reaches 36 and til are adapted to be bent in exactly the same manner as the portions 33 of tongue l9 while the connecting portions (it serve to direct the tongues into the slots 23 of the fastener members.

In the use of the device shown in Fig. 5, the procedure is the same as with the device previously described. The cover is arranged to bring the tongues above the slots in the fastener members l8 and the cover then moved downwardly until the said tongues pass through said slots. The tongues may then be bent upwardly as shown in Fig. 5 to hold the cover firmly and securely attached to the body of the container.

My invention is highly advantageous in that an extremely practical and simple device is provided whereby covers of containers may be quickly and securely attached thereto. With my invention no metal is disposed upon the interior of the container so that contamination of the commodity container within the container is entirely prevented. The device can be constructed at an extremely low cost. The fastener is quickly applied and can be repeatedly used permitting the container tobe opened and closed a great number of times. As soon as the tongue has been bent into proper position the cover becomes firmly attached to the container and cannot be removed therefrom excepting by the bending of the tongue in the opposite direction.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of. my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a container open at its upper end and having a rim extending outwardly from the body of the container and encircling the upper end of said container and formed with a downwardly facing shoulder, a cover for said container having a flange extending downwardly therefrom and overlying said rim, said flange being provided with a free edge disposed in proximity to said shoulder, a member projecting outwardly from said container beneath said shoulder and having an elongated portion extending along said shoulder and spaced from the container to provide a slot therebetween, a tongue issuing outwardly from the free edge of the flange and extending between the elongated portion of said member and the container, and means on said tongue for holding said tongue in engagement with said member.

2. In combination, a container open at its upper end, a hoop encircling said container at its upper end and forming a rim therefor, a cover for said container having a flange extending downwardly therefrom and overlying said rim, a retaining member formed of wire having two reaches lying between said hoop and container, legs extending outwardly from said reaches and disposed beneath the lower edge of the hoop, a connecting portion connecting said legs together and a tongue issuing downwardly from said flange and adapted to be inserted between said legs and in back of said connecting portion.

3. In combination, a container open at its upper end, a hoop encircling said container at its upper end and forming a rim therefor, a cover for said container having a flange extending downwardly therefrom and overlying said rim, a retaining member formed of wire having two reaches lying between said hoop and container, 2. loop formed on said reaches and extending outwardly from said container upon the underside of said hoop and a tongue issuing downwardly from said flange, said tongue being insertable into said loop.

4. In combination, a container open at its upper end and having a rim extending outwardly from the body of the container and encircling the upper end of said container and formed with a downwardly facing shoulder, a cover for said container having a flange extending downwardly therefrom and overlying said rim, said flange being provided with a free edge disposed in proximity to said shoulder, a member projecting outwardly from said container beneath said shoulder and having an elongated portion extending across said shoulder and spaced from the container to form a loop and a tongue issuing downwardly from said flange and adapted to extend through said loop.

5. In combination, a container open at its upper end and having a rim extending outwardly from the body of the container and encircling the upper end of said container and formed with a downwardly facing shoulder, a cover for said container having a flange extending downwardly therefrom and overlying said rim, said flange being provided with a free edge disposed in proximity to said shoulder, a member projecting outwardly from said container beneath said shoulder and having an elongated portion extending across said shoulder and spaced from the container to form a loop, and a tongue constructed of wire having two reaches partially disposed within the flange and partially extending from the free edge thereof and a connecting portion connecting said reaches without said flange, said ton'gue being adapted to extend through said loop.

6. In combination, a circular container open at its upper end, a hoop encircling said container at its upper end and forming a rim therefor, a cover for said container having a depending flange overlying said rim and covering said rim upon the outer surface thereof, the lower portion of said hoop and the lower portion of the flange lying in proximity to one another, a fastener member issuing from said hoop at the lower por tion thereof, and a complemental fastener member issuing from the lower edge of the flange and extending substantially at right angles thereto.

7. In combination, a circular container open at its upper end, a hoop encircling said container at its upper end and forming a rim therefor, a cover for said container having a depending flange overlying said rim and covering said rim upon the outer surface thereof, the lower portion of said hoop and the lower portion of the flange lying in proximity to one another, a fastener member having a portion disposed between said hoop and said container and another portion extending outwardly from the container beneath the lower edge of the hoop, and a complemental fastener member secured to said flange and issuing from the lowermost portion thereof, said fastener members cooperating to hold the closure attached to the container.

8. In combination, a circular container open at its upper end, a hoop encircling said container at its upper end and forming a rim therefor, a cover for said container having a depending flange overlying said rim and covering said rim upon the outer surface thereof, the lower portion of said hoop and the lower portion of the flange lying in proximity to one another, a fastener member having a portion disposed between said hoop and said container and another portion extending at right angles thereto and across the lower edge of said hoop, said member extending outwardly beyond the outer surface of said hoop and being formed at such locality with a loop, a complemental fastener member attached to said flange and depending from the lower edge of the flange, said last named attaching member being received within said loop.

9. In combination, a container open at its upper end and having a rim encircling its upper end, a cover therefor formed with a depending flange adapted to overlie said rim substantially throughout the vertical extent thereof, said flange and rim being so constructed that the lowermost edge of the flange is exposed, a tongue issuing downwardly from said exposed edge of the flange, and means for cooperation with said tongue to hold the cover attached to the container, said means being attached to the container.

10. In combination, a container open at its upper end and having a rim encircling its upper end, a cover therefor formed with a depending flange adapted to overlie said rim substantially throughout the vertical extent thereof, said flange and rim being so constructed that the lowermost edges of the flange and rim are exposed and lie in close proximity to one another and complemental fastening members on the container and cover for cooperation with one another to hold the cover in position, said members issuing from the exposed lowermost edges of both the rim and flange and being secured thereto.

11. In combination, a container open at its upper end, a hoop encircling said container at its upper end and forming a rim therefor, a cover for said container, a retaining member formed of wire having two reaches lying between said hoop and container, legs extending outwardly from said reaches and disposed beneath the lower edge of the hoop, a connecting portion connecting said legs together and a tongue issuing downwardly from said cover and adapted to be inserted between said legs and in back of said connecting portion.

12. In combination, a container open at its upper end, a hoop encircling said container at its upper end and forming a rim therefor, a cover for said container, a retaining member formed of wire having two reaches lying between said hoop and container, a loop formed on reaches and extending outwardly from said container upon the underside of said hoop and a tongue issuing downwardly from said cover, said tongue being insertable into said loop.

13. In combination, a circular container open at its upper end, a hoop encircling said container at its upper end and forming a rim therefor, a cover for said container, a fastener member having a portion disposed between said hoop and said container, another portion extending through said hoop and still another portion extending outwardly from said container beneath the lower edge of the hoop, and a complemental fastener member secured to said cover and cooperating with the last named part of said fastener member to hold the cover attached to the container.

14. In combination, a circular container open at its upper end, a hoop encircling said container and forming a rim extending outwardly therefrom, a fastener member having a portion held attached to the container by means of said hoop and situated between a part of the rim and said container, said fastener having another portion extending through the hoop and still another portion issuing outwardly from the hoop, and means attached to the cover and cooperating with the last named part of said fastener member for holding the cover attached to the container.

SWAN SMITH. 

